Australia news live: partner of Brisbane hotel cleaner tests positive for UK Covid variant; SA bushfire prompts emergency warning




2.24am EST02:24

No people on board Sydney bus fire




2.08am EST02:08

Bus catches fire in Sydney

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1.57am EST01:57

Partner of Brisbane hotel cleaner tests positive

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at 2.14am EST




1.50am EST01:50

Here’s a little more on the NSW government response to that inquiry into the state’s koala populations.

The inquiry had recommended several changes to try to halt the decline of koalas in NSW, including improved monitoring, prioritising koala corridors for conservation in urban development areas and increasing funding to the state’s Environmental Protection Authority for enforcement of habitat protection on land used for private native forestry.

The government supported the recommendation to prioritise conservation of koala habitat corridors, but recommendations to finalise a new koala Sepp as soon as possible and establish a great koala national park were among those that were “noted”.

Jacqui Mumford, the acting chief executive of the Nature Conservation of NSW said the government’s response was “alarmingly relaxed about the looming extinction of an iconic native species” and delivered nothing new.

“Basically the government response says ‘relax, we’ve got it covered – no need to do more’,” she said.

“But koalas are more at risk now than they were late last year because the National Party has torn down the koala Sepp and the obliteration of koala habitat continues.”

In its response to the committee, the government said it agreed “targeted action is needed to ensure that NSW koala populations increase over the next 30 years and beyond”.

The government told the committee a new 2021-2026 koala strategy due this year would focus conservation and investment in areas “where they will deliver the most effective outcomes”.

The strategy is separate to the koala Sepp and will set out actions intended to stabilise and ultimately increase koala populations in the state.

The NSW environment minister, Matt Kean, has set a goal of doubling the number of koalas in NSW by 2050.




1.31am EST01:31

The NSW Greens and environment groups have described the Berejiklian government’s response to an inquiry into the state’s koala population as weak.

The inquiry found last year that koalas would go extinct in NSW unless the government acted urgently to protect koala habitat.

The government said on Monday it would support 11 of the parliamentary inquiry’s 42 recommendations and gave in principle support to an additional 17.

The remaining 14 were noted, which the Greens MLC and inquiry chair Cate Faehrmann was another way of saying “rejected”.

“This is an extremely disappointing response from the NSW Government and shows they have no commitment to save koalas from extinction let alone doubling their numbers by 2050,” she said.

“Recommendations such as the government urgently investigating the ‘utilisation of core koala habitat on private land and in state forests to replenish koala habitat lost in the bushfires’ appear to be rejected out of hand.”

The Coalition almost split last year over koala policy and in December reverted to a 25-year-old state environmental planning policy (Sepp) after failing to reach agreement on koala protections in a new Sepp and pass legislation through the upper house.

Berejiklian said the government would look to draft a new koala policy this year.




1.18am EST01:18

Acting prime minister Michael McCormack has spoken to reporters in Narrabri, doubling down on his defence of George Christensen and decrying “censorship” of Donald Trump by Twitter.

McCormack was asked about Christensen spreading Donald Trump’s false claims for fraud in the US election and pushing the drug hydroxychloroquine, and “why shouldn’t he be counselled for pushing false claims what is essentially non-medical advice to thousands of followers?”

He replied: “Well, George Christensen’s also supported the Mackay Ring Road.”

James Elton
(@JamesEltonPym)

Vision of this Q & A… he doesn’t skip a beat! Sound up 🔊 pic.twitter.com/DchIyjCbuA


January 11, 2021

McCormack was also asked about his comments that businesses are fine to have jobkeeper wage subsidies taken away, and said:


Well, many of the people who are running businesses and do have jobkeeper in place also understand that it’s time for many of the workers to return. Some of those workers who, you know, have been sitting on the couch and being, you know, dare I say, lounge lizards for too long, now it’s time to get back to work.”

He encouraged people on jobseeker unemployment benefits to “look beyond that sandstone curtain that is the Great Dividing Range and to, you know, take up those job opportunities that are there and get off the couch and get out to regional Australia and take up one of those jobs”.




12.52am EST00:52

Emergency warning for SA bushfire

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11.49pm EST23:49

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11.36pm EST23:36

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11.05pm EST23:05




10.43pm EST22:43

Four hundred people from Brisbane released from NT quarantine

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